The Wylie girls soccer team has faced its share of tests this season. But few — if any — have been bigger than the one that awaits the Lady Bulldogs in their playoff opener today.

Wylie (10-10-2) opens the Class 4A playoffs at 5 p.m. today with an area-round game against Canyon Randall. And coach Manuel Cordova knows his team will have to be on-point to escape Lubbock High’s Chapman Field with a win over the District 5-3A champs.

“We’re expecting a quality group,” Cordova said of Randall. “They’re athletic, and they try to move the ball around and play soccer. It’s not just kick the ball and go chase it. They try to play soccer by moving it around.

“They have a pretty good girl up top that has scored a lot of their goals and assisted a lot as well. It will definitely be a good challenge to see how we match up against her. I think we have the personnel to do so. Hopefully we’ll keep it a tight game and be physical and just go out there and try to get our rhythm going and play to our strengths.”

Randall, which won its district with a 14-0-1 record, is strong on both ends of the field. Led by sophomore Lauren Piercy and Kirsten Kerbo, the Lady Raiders can score quickly. And no district opponent scored more than one goal in a game against goalkeeper Alyssa Salvato and the Randall back line.

Knowing how difficult the Lady Raiders can make life for opponents, Cordova said a fast start is a must if Wylie hopes to win.

“I think one of the keys is that we get into an early rhythm,” he said. “Both teams are excited, and I’m sure they’re ready to play. So those first 10 to 15 minutes might be really tense, hectic and fast-paced. But the sooner we can bring the ball down, play it to our feet and just get into a rhythm, I think the better off we’ll be.”

Other keys to victory for the Lady Bulldogs, Cordova said, will be balancing excitement with poise and “playing through every situation.”

“In those kind of games, you’ll have times where you get pinned back,” he said. “You have to learn to solve the issue. And then offensively, when you pin them back, can you solve it and get a goal-scoring opportunity? So it’s just solving the situation both defensively and offensively as a unit.”

While he knows his team is facing a tall challenge, Cordova said he likes the way his Lady Bulldogs are playing. Led by Texas Tech-bound senior Madison McAdams, Wylie won three of its final four district games to enter the playoffs with some positive momentum.

Now, it’s just a matter of matching the effort that fueled the Lady Bulldogs’ late charge — and building upon that success.

“We’re excited about the way we’ve progressed,” Cordova said. “Hopefully, by now we understand what we’re about and how we want to play.

“We broke our season down into three phases — our predistrict, our district and now the postseason. Now that we’re here, it’s a one-game season and we tell the girls that it’s exciting to be in the playoffs. A lot of teams are done and now they’re getting into their offseason. But we have a great opportunity, and we’re looking forward to making the most out of it.”